Greens release Darleen Tana report; Tana considering whether to stay on as MP

Wednesday, 17 July 2024

Darleen Tana said she will confirm when she has made a decision about whether to stay in Parliament.

The Green Party has released an executive summary of the final report of its independent investigation into Darleen Tana, more than a week after the party went public with its response to the findings.

The report had been leaked to various media, but the Greens had declined to publicly release it until it had sign-off from all named parties.

The party said on Wednesday that “following consultation with named parties and thorough consideration of privacy interests, the Green Party is in a position to release the Executive Summary”.

“In line with our commitment to openness and transparency, we are pleased to share the executive summary of the independent, expert investigation into the actions of Darleen Tana with the public,” Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick said.

“This [summary] makes it very clear that Darleen has failed to meet the standards we expect - not only of MPs within our caucus, but across Parliament entirely.”

Tana was elected in October as a Green Party list MP. She was suspended from the party in March when Stuff revealed links between herself and migrant worker exploitation allegations at her husband's bike shop.

She was suspended while the party commissioned an investigation into what she knew of the allegations, and whether she had failed to properly disclose concerns with the Green Party. That investigation concluded at the start of the month, leading to Tana's exit from the Green Party.

The Green Party has made a plea for MP Darleen Tana to resign but she is digging in and refusing to quit.

Said Swarbrick on Wednesday, releasing the summary, “Darleen was given multiple opportunities to be upfront about the serious allegations she was facing but chose to obfuscate instead of answering straightforward questions, prompting the need for an independent investigation.

“Now the public can see why caucus was unanimous in requesting Darleen’s resignation from Parliament.

“We are deeply disappointed that Darleen Tana has not been forthcoming about nor taken accountability for very serious breaches of our kaupapa, nor even acknowledged the impact of her behaviour on others.

“Her staying on as an MP risks undermining the credibility of Parliament as well as the faith the public has in it as an institution.

“It is in the best interests of everyone that she resigns.”

Tana, understood to have been spotted at the parliamentary precinct this morning, is considering whether she will fight to stay on as an MP.

Green Party press conference announcing the results of the investigation. Pictured: Teanau Tuiono, Chloe Swarbrick, and Ricardo Menendez March.

Stuff asked Tana if she would be free for an interview while she's in the Capital, but she said she was still considering her options.

'I am not in a position to talk plans at this stage,' she said.

Asked if she would be staying on as an MP, she said she would confirm 'when a decision is made'.

The Green Party wants Tana to resign from Parliament, although Tana has disputed the findings of the report, telling TVNZ she was isolated and silenced by the Green Party. She had previously said the report misrepresented her involvement in her husband’s business, and that the party had a predetermined view of it.

Green co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick and caucus musterer Ricardo Menéndez March have spent most of the past two weeks pleading with Tana, through interviews and press conferences, to resign.

If she doesn't resign as an MP, the Green Party caucus would meet to discuss whether to force her out of Parliament through using the waka jumping law - it is a law the Greens rallied against. But they have not ruled out using it, and writing to Speaker Gerry Brownlee to ask that he intervene.